Mental health strategy consultation
Published on 08 May 2012 10:30 AM
Commenting on the launch of the Welsh Government's 12 week consultation on improving mental health services, Age Cymru's Policy Advisor Amy Clifton says:
"We very much welcome the vision of the new Mental Health Strategy to be ‘age inclusive' with the intentions to remove current discriminatory practices whereby services are segregated based on age.
"Within our current system, mental health services are often different for ‘adults of working age' and ‘older people' - those aged 65 and over.
"This means that older people can be transferred from successful treatments when they reach 65 and can be denied the full range of treatments that are available to younger people.
"Psychological therapies can be just as effective as drug-based therapies, and do not interfere with any existing medications, but older people are rarely offered this option.
"We believe that health and social care professionals should also undertake mandatory equality and human rights training to combat ageist attitudes and ensure that older people are not disadvantaged and have equal access to services."
"We hope that the new strategy results in real improvements in reducing inequalities in access to treatment for older people in Wales."